Doctor Who wins at Banff

Thursday, 12 June 2014 - Reported by Marcus
Doctor Who has won two awards at the 35th Banff World Media Festival which took place in Canada over the last three days.

The series was awarded the Rockie Award for Best Science Fiction, Action, and Fantasy as well as getting the prize for Best Scripted Programme, just beating The Big Bang Theory.

The awards jury comprises a large number of media and television executives from around the world.




FILTER: - Doctor Who - Canada - Awards/Nominations

The Essential Doctor Who - The TARDIS

Thursday, 12 June 2014 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The latest in Doctor Who Magazine's special releases, The Essential Doctor Who, is published today, and this time focuses on the Doctor's 'wife', the TARDIS.

The Essential Doctor Who - The TARDIS (Credit: DWM)The Essential Doctor Who: The TARDIS is a lavish 116-page guide featuring details of every major TARDIS story. There are exclusive new interviews with scriptwriters Steve Thompson (Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS) and Christopher H Bidmead (Logopolis, Castrovalva, Frontios), guest star Suranne Jones (Idris in The Doctor’s Wife), the show’s current production designer Michael Pickwoad and the Radiophonic Workshop’s Brian Hodgson, Dick Mills and Mark Ayres.

The publication also includes articles on TARDIS collectables, a history of the original police boxes by a retired superintendent, maps of the ship’s interior and a three-part guide on how to operate the console.

"The TARDIS is an essential part of Doctor Who, so we had to feature it in this series of bookazines," says editor Marcus Hearn. "We’ve taken a fresh look at one of the show’s most familiar icons, and I’m pleased that we’ve been able to include so much previously unpublished material."




FILTER: - Magazines - DWM

Tour update, USA/Australia transmissions confirmed for August

Wednesday, 11 June 2014 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Following on from the World Tour announcement yesterday, both BBC America and ABC have reported via their press releases that Doctor Who will air in the United States and Australia respectively in August, with the former confirming that it will broadcast on the same air date (to be announced) as the United Kingdom.

Speaking of the tour, BBC America's SVP for Programming Richard De Croce said:
It’s a new beginning for one of the most popular series in the world and we couldn’t be more excited to have the Twelfth Doctor live in New York to promote the long awaited return of Doctor Who on BBC AMERICA. It’s going to be epic.
ABC's Head of Programming Brendan Dahill said:
ABC TV has always been the Australian home for The Doctor. Our audiences love him and embrace the series which was evident with the success of the recent 50th anniversary celebrations, which broadcast on ABC TV and iview. We look forward to welcoming Peter and Jenna down under.
Amanda Hill, Chief Brands Officer at BBC Worldwide said:
We were so bowled over by the global reaction to the 50th episode last year that we thought what better way to introduce the new Doctor than to take the team around the globe. Doctor Who encompasses British creativity at its best and we’re passionate about it being on the world stage. This tour is something normally reserved for Hollywood blockbusters but with Doctor Who it appears you can do anything you dream of and continue to challenge what’s perceived as the norm in TV.








FILTER: - Special Events - USA - Series 8/34 - Australia

Doctor Who - The World Tour

Tuesday, 10 June 2014 - Reported by Marcus
Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman are to embark on a World Tour, promoting the upcoming series of Doctor Who, which hits screens this August.

Fans in the UK will have a chance to see the couple at exclusive events in Cardiff and London on 7 August before they jet off, alongside showrunner Steven Moffat, visiting seven cities across five continents in 12 days to take part in a series of media and fan engagements

Peter Capaldi, speaking ahead of the tour, said:
It’s fantastic that so many people across the world love Doctor Who. After eight months solid filming deep in the world of monsters, Jenna and I are thrilled to be heading for the Planet of Fans.
Executive producer and lead writer Steven Moffat added:
I've always thought we'd all be a lot safer if the Doctor conquered the world, instead of the Daleks. Now with Jenna and Peter leading the charge, it looks like it's going to happen. I'll be bringing up the rear to handle the exposition scenes, and maybe carry some bags.
The tour marks the largest ever promotional undertaking in Doctor Who’s 50-year history and will take in Seoul (South Korea), Sydney (Australia) before hitting New York (US) on August 14. It continues to Mexico City (Mexico) and Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) where the tour ends on August 19th.

More details of the itinerary will be available soon at www.doctorwho.tv/worldtour as well as reports from the tour as it happens, which fans everywhere will be able to enjoy across social and digital platforms.

BBC Worldwide’s ambition for the brand has grown considerably since the global success of the 50th Anniversary which saw the special episode The Day Of The Doctor broadcast simultaneously in 98 countries and in over 1500 cinemas across the world, setting a new record for event cinema in its first three days on general release.




FILTER: - Special Events - USA - Australia - USA - UK - South Korea - Mexico - Brazil

Seventh Doctor hat among items to be auctioned at Bonhams

Sunday, 8 June 2014 - Reported by John Bowman
Bonhams' latest entertainment memorabilia sale will once again include items from Doctor Who, with Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures also featuring.

The sale - taking place at the showroom in Montpelier Street, Knightsbridge, London, on Wednesday 25th June from midday - consists of some 367 items, with lots 94 to 121 being of particular interest to DW, TW and SJA fans.

They include an original rehearsal script for The War Machines episode 2 (which is given the story title Doctor Who and the War of the Machines on the front page) as well as sets of draft and rehearsal scripts for all six episodes of The Abominable Snowmen and a set of four camera scripts for The Time Warrior, plus a screen-used panama hat signed by Sylvester McCoy. Items from The Sarah Jane Adventures include the costume worn by Elisabeth Sladen for Invasion of the Bane and her wedding dress from The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith, while the Torchwood lots include costumes worn by Eve Myles.

Full list of DW, TW and SJA auction items

Doctor Who:
LotDescriptionEstimate (£)
94Original rehearsal script for The War Machines episode 2250-350
95Complete set of six rehearsal scripts for The Abominable Snowmen1,000-2,000
96Complete set of six draft scripts for The Abominable Snowmen2,000-3,000
97Set of five rehearsal scripts for The Web of Fear1,000-1,500
98Original handwritten postcard from Patrick Troughton to Henry Soskin (Henry Lincoln)300-500
99Three rehearsal scripts for The Dominators500-700
100Set of four camera scripts for The Time Warrior500-600
101A Time Lord robe from The Deadly Assassin2,000-2,500
102An original costume design for Sylvester McCoy as the Seventh Doctor4,000-4,500
103A collection of scripts from the Sylvester McCoy era plus light and floor plans600-800
104An original screen-used panama hat signed by Sylvester McCoy800-1,200
105An original control panel from Remembrance of the Daleks300-500
106A Haemovore head from The Curse of Fenric250-300
Torchwood:
LotDescriptionEstimate (£)
107James Marsters' costume from Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang 300-500
108Bryan Dick's costume from Adam 250-300
109Nikki Amuka-Bird's costume from Sleeper 250-300
110Camilla Power's costume from From Out of the Rain 300-500
111Eve Myles's costume from Adrift 250-300
112Gareth David-Lloyd's costume from Day Two and Day Three 250-300
113Eve Myles's costume from Day Five 250-300
The Sarah Jane Adventures:
LotDescriptionEstimate (£)
114Elisabeth Sladen's costume from Invasion of the Bane 300-500
115Tommy Knight's costume from Eye of the Gorgon 200-300
116Yasmin Paige's costume from Warriors of Kudlak 250-300
117Daniel Anthony's costume from The Last Sontaran 250-300
118Anjli Mohindra's costume from Prisoner of the Judoon 250-300
119Elisabeth Sladen's wedding dress costume from The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith 300-500
120Elisabeth Sladen's costume from The Nightmare Man 300-500
121Sinead Michael's school uniform costume from Series 5 250-300

A PDF of the catalogue can be downloaded here. Viewings are being held on 22nd June from 11am to 3pm, 23rd and 24th June from 9am to 4.30pm, and from 9am to 10am on the day of the sale itself.




FILTER: - Doctor Who - Torchwood - UK - Auctions - Sarah Jane - Patrick Troughton

Series 8 teaser trailer image released

Sunday, 8 June 2014 - Reported by John Bowman
BBC America has released a still from the teaser trailer heralding the return of Doctor Who this August.

The image shows the Doctor, as played by Peter Capaldi, silhouetted inside the TARDIS console room as explosions rage behind him.


Glimpses of the scene were shown in the teaser released on 23rd May, when the month of the show's return was announced.






FILTER: - BBC America - Peter Capaldi - Series 8/34

Official Doctor Who Walking Tours return

Friday, 6 June 2014 - Reported by Marcus
The Doctor Who Walking Tours, run by the Doctor Who Experience in Cardiff are back for the 2014 season.

The tours operate every Friday/Saturday/Sunday from Saturday 14th June until Sunday 20th July.

The tour was created by Doctor Who novelist Gary Russell. It lasts roughly an hour and visits over thirty-one locations featured in the filming of the show, including: the building where the Weeping Angels watched Sally Sparrow and the Police Station in the Blink episode; the American diner River Song, Amy and Rory met the Doctor inside within The Impossible Astronaut episode, and the Wales Millennium Centre, where episodes including: The Girl Who Waited, The Sound of Drums, and Vincent and the Doctor were all filmed.

Tickets for the official Doctor Who Walking Tours will be on sale from 12pm on Wednesday 11th June with further dates to be announced in the next couple of weeks.




FILTER: - Special Events

Doctor Who Adventures Magazine - Issue 347

Thursday, 5 June 2014 - Reported by Marcus
Doctor Who Adventures Magazine 347The latest issue of BBC Doctor Who Adventures magazine is out now and comes with a free glow-in-the-dark Slitheen.

Inside the magazine there’s a Top 10 of Cyber scares – readers can relive their most shocking moments in Doctor Who so far.

Dalek fans can find out their secrets in The Dalek Files – and there’s a chance to win a Talking Plush Dalek, too.
    Also, there’s:
  • Alien Babies comic fun.
  • An interview with the Doctor’s Cyberhead friend Handles.
  • Strax’s Guide to Davros.
  • Behind-the-scenes info from Series 7.
  • More trouble for the Eleventh Doctor and Clara in the comic strip.
  • Posters – including one of the Eleventh and Twelfth Doctor.
  • Plus puzzles and loads of monster fun…
Issue 347, on sale 4 – 17 June 2014.




FILTER: - DWA

Jacqueline Hill recording found

Tuesday, 3 June 2014 - Reported by Marcus
An early audio recording of a TV drama, starring future Doctor Who companion Jacqueline Hill, has been unearthed by the film's director.

The play Requiem for a Heavyweight, is notable for also featuring the first lead performance by the future James Bond, Sean Connery as well as an early performance by Michael Caine.

The play was broadcast on 31 March 1957, performed live on BBC Television as part of the Sunday-Night Theatre series. It was written for US television in 1956 by The Twilight Zone creator Rod Serling where it starred Jack Palance in the lead role.

Jacqueline Hill played Grace Carney in the UK version, which was directed by Alvin Rakoff, who would marry Hill the following year. Rakoff said it was his future wife who convinced him to cast Connery in the Palance role, when it was clear the actor wouldn't travel to the UK for the British version of the play.

He told BBC News:
I got a call from Palance's agent who said: Jack ain't gonna show. Something better had come up and he didn't want to come to England. Jacqueline said, Have you seen Sean?... the ladies will like him, which was quite a remarkable statement but it was true, women adored him and so I called him and narrowed it to two fellows and Sean got it.
The play was thought to have been lost until Rakoff remembered a recording he had asked the sound booth to make during transmission:
I had suddenly thought: 'Maybe this is an important piece,' and I spoke to the man in the sound booth and asked him to do a reel-to-reel so he had an audio recording, and he did.
After a search Rakoff recently found the recording in the attic of his London home.

Jacqueline Hill and Alvin Rakoff were married for 36 years, until her death in 1993. Rakoff, now in his 80's, is still working and has just written the conspiracy thriller The Seven Einsteins.

(with thanks to BBC News)




FILTER: - People

FOX Germany announces Series 8 "simulcast" with BBC One

Tuesday, 3 June 2014 - Reported by Chuck Foster and Pascal Salzmann
FOX Germany have announced their intention to broadcast the next series of Doctor Who at the same time as or as near as possible to its transmission in the United Kingdom - making it the first station in the world to present a series alongside its traditional "home"!

The episodes, which will be available to watch in both a German-dubbed version or the original English soundtrack, will be aired as close to the actual transmission on BBC One as is practical - the UK schedules can vary from week to week depending upon other programming and events, whereas German schedules are less 'fluid' - as the press release cites, should the series air at 8:00pm in the UK then it would air at 9:00pm in Germany.

Marco de Ruiter, Managing Director for FOX, said:
Wir sind stolz darauf, gemeinsam mit der BBC Fernsehgeschichte schreiben zu dürfen und die Kultserie DOCTOR WHO erstmals als Globale Premiere in Deutschland, Österreich und in der Schweiz zeigen zu können - und zwar auf Deutsch und Englisch. DOCTOR WHO -Fans sind ähnlich leidenschaftlich wie THE WALKING DEAD-Fans, die jeder Tag schmerzt, den sie auf neue Episoden warten müssen. Wir freuen uns, ab sofort die Wartezeit gleich null setzen zu können.

We, together with the BBC, are proud to write TV history and broadcast the cult tv show DOCTOR WHO for the first time as a global premiere in Germany, Austria and Switzerland – in German and English. DOCTOR WHO-fans are as passionate as THE WALKING DEAD-fans, who are in pain every day they have to wait for the new episodes. We are very happy to reduce the waiting time to zero.

The actual premiere date and time in August has yet to be confirmed.


Back in November, the channel narrowly missed being part of the global simulcast of The Day of the Doctor, broadcasting the episode some ten minutes later at 9:00pm local time. Similarly, The Time of the Doctor was broadcast about an hour later in Germany, though FOX were the first to show the festive episode after the UK.

Doctor Who is a daily fixture on FOX, with this week seeing the run reach Series 4.





FILTER: - Series 8/34 - International Broadcasting - Germany